Adjustable reclining chair



Oct 28,1947. A. LO RENZ 2,429,633

' ADJUSTABLE RE LINI NG CHAIR- Filed Jan. 8; 1944 2 Sheds-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTC/JRNEY Oct. 28, 1947v A. LORENZ ADJUSTABLE RECLINING CHAIR Fil'gd Jan. 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ANTON ORENZ -aZ. ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 28, 1947 NIT'ED STATES PAT-EN T OFFICE ADJUSTABLE RECLINING CHAIR Anton Lorenz, Buffalo, N. Y.

7 Application January 8, 1944, Serial .No. 517,475

9Claims. 1 My invention relates to articles of furniture, and '-more particularly to adjustable reclining chairs orthe like, whereinthefront portion of the seat is pivoted to a support, the rear port-ionof the seat "is hinged to-a back-rest,-and acon-trolh i-ng mechanism is provided for an automatic variation in the angle between the back-rest and the seat when the seat is movedir-om a-sittin-g position intea reclined position and vice versa, so that the back-rest --automatically adjusts itself into position to support the back ofa person si-ttingon the chair.

In customary adjustable reclining chairs of vabove I described type the controlling mechanism comprises a guiding linl one end :of which is pivotedtoatheasupport at a point in a plane below the :horizontal .plane of the front pivot of the seat, and the :other end of which is pivoted directly to the bBJCkrT-BSt for obtaining a comfortableangle between the. back-rest andrthe seat and for obtaining the desired variation in said angle during a movement ptfathezseat. This arrangement, however, requires .a rather long guiding and imposes certain limitations onxthe .designerof the chair with .respectxtojth'e degree :of theangle between the back-rest and the seat, with respect to the inclinations of the seat and theback-rest, .an-d'with respect to-the degree of the variation in the anglebetween the back-rest and-the .seatduring a movement of'thelatter An object of my invention is to overcome above mentioned disadvantages and to improve upon the adjustable reclining chairs or the like as now v.ordinarily, made- Another object of my invention is to equip an adjustable ..reclining chair of above .described .type .with adjusting means, by means of which the user .of the chairmay make a preadjustment of the angle between the back-rest and the seat in the sitting position of the latter.

.Ajurther object of myinventionis to provide an adjustable reclining chair .of abovedescribed type, wherein the seat and/r hack-rest may be adjusted in .a predetermined inclined position .by the user of the chair.

Still another object of my invention is topro- "vide anadjustable reclining chair of above described typeequipped with adjustable means, by

=means of which the user .of the chair may determine the degreeof variation in the angle between the back-rest and the seat during aswinging movement-oi the latter.

further object of my invention isto provide an adjustable reclining chair of above described "typ which maybemanufactured at low costs 12 and maybe readily adapted .to thezrequirements of users of the chair for acomfortable sitting or resting. on the-chair.

With the above. and other. obj ects of the invention in mind, the inventionconsists in the movel construction, arrangement and combination pf various devicesrelementsand parts, as set forth in the claims hereof, certain embodiments of the same .being described in the specification and being illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part vof this specification-wherein:

Fig. i isaside elevational-viewoi an adjustable reclining chair according to the invention, some parts being broken-away,

Fig. 2 is a sideelevational View of the chair shown in .Fig, 1, wherein, however, the guiding link is connected with .a differentpoin-t of the arm-rest vfor a-different variation in the angle between 'the -.back-rest and the seat during .a swinging movement of the latter, and wherein .a swingable leg-rest is connected with the backrest,

Fig. .3 is a side elevational view or a different embodimentof an adjustable reclining chair according to the invention, wherein the guiding link is pivoted to the support at a point below the .seat,

Fig. 4 isa horizontal sectional view of the chair shown in Fig.3, taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.,

lFig. 511s a sideelevational view fof a different embodiment of an adjustable reclining chair according to the invention with a guiding link of adjustable length, somepartsbeing broken away.

Fig. '6 is a side ,elevational view of anadjustable arm chair according to the invention, a portion of the side wall being broken away,

Fig. "7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line'l-7.of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line -8-8 of Fig. 1.

Referring n'ow'to Fig. 1, 0 generally indicates spaced upright connected supports of any conventional construction. The front portion of a seat I2 is pivoted between't'he, supports H1 at I4, and a back-rest i6 is; pivoted to the rear portion of the seat at I8. 0n eachside of the chair a lateral extension 20 "in the shape of an arm-rest is rigidly secured toithe back-rest 16 by screws 22. One end of a guiding link 24 is pivoted to the support l0 at apoint 26 in a plane above the horizontal plane of the front pivot M of the seat 12. 'Theother end of said guiding link carries a pivot 28, which may be inserted in one of the series of holes 3-0 arranged in the projecting portion of the arm-rest or extension 20. The guiding link mechanism just described may be arranged only on one side or on both sides of the chair.

The sitting position of the seat and back-rest is shown in full lines in Fig. 1. Said sitting position is limited by a limiting stop 32 inserted into one of the series of apertures 34 arranged in the support ID.

The extreme reclined position I2, I6 of the seat and back-rest is shOWn in dash and dot lines in Fig. 1. Said extreme reclined position is limited by a second limiting stop 36 inserted into one of the series of apertures 38 arranged in the support I0.

During the movement of the seat I2 from said sitting position into said reclined position I2, the point of the pivotal connection 28, 30 between the arm-rest 26 and the guiding link 24 is guided along a circular path by said guiding link, and the center 26 of said circular path, 1. e., the pivot between the guiding link and the support, is arranged in such a relation to the pivot I4 between the seat and the support, that said circular path is outside an arc with the distance between the pivots I4 and 28 as radius around the center I 4 and that, consequently, the distance between the pivots I4 and 28 is increased during such a movement of the seat, whereby the angle between the back-rest and the seat is increased to a certain extent.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 7, a torsional spring 49 arranged around the pivot I4 has its ends 29 and M connected with the support I and a lug II of the seat I2 for urging the seat and backrest from a reclined position into the sitting position limited by the stop 32. Of course, resilient means of above described construction or another suitable construction for returning the seat and back-rest into the sitting position may be arranged at points other than the pivot I4, if desired. If the user of the chair wishes to relax and leans his body against the back-rest l6, the back-rest and the seat are moved against the action of such resilient means into a reclined position.

If the locking stop 32 is inserted into the first aperture of the series of apertures 34 instead of into the last one as shown in Fig. 1, the seat I2 may be tilted into the forwardly inclined position I2 with the back-rest in the position I6. This forwardly inclined position I2, I6" may be very comfortable for work on a desk.

The movable members I2, I6, 24 of the chair may be held in any desired position by means of a locking device generally indicated by 42. According to Figs. 1 and 8, said locking device 42 comprises a handle 43 screwed on the threaded end of the pivot I8 between the seat I2 and the element 45 rigidly secured to the back-rest I6. Said pivot I8 has a square portion 47 engaged with a square aperture of the seat, whereby the pivot is prevented from rotation. A head 49 of the pivot I8 rests against a surface of the seat I2. When the user of the chair loosens the locking handle 43, the surface of the hub I of said handle is disengaged from the surface of the element 45, so that the movable members of the chair may be freely moved from one position into another one. When the locking handle 43 is tightened, the surface of the hub of the handle is pressed against the element 45, whereby the latter is pressed against the seat I2 engaged with the head 49 of the pivot I8, so that the movable members of the chair are held in their position. Of course, the locking means may be of diiferent type and may to Fig. 1.

. 4 be arranged at another part of the chair, if desired.

According to the invention, the upper end of the guiding link 24 is pivoted to an extension 26 projecting from the back-rest I6. As shown in Fig. 1, for example, this feature permits the use of short guiding links. Another feature of this type of connection i the possibility of arranging the pivotal connection between the guiding link and the extension at different points of the extension, whereby the inclination of the seat and/or back-rest may be changed, and whereby the degree of the variation in the angle between the back-rest and the seat during the movement of the seat may be altered.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the chair is provided with adjustable means for varying the position of the pivotal connection between the guiding link 24 and the extension 20 on the extension. As mentioned above, the extension or arm-rest 26 is provided with a plurality of holes 30. According to Figs. 1 and 2 said holes 30 are arranged on an arcuate line around the pivot 26 as center when the arm-rest is in the horizontal sitting position. If desired, for example, the user of the chair may disengage the pivots 28 and 32 from the last hole of the series of holes 30 and 34 (see Fig. 1) and may insert said pivots 28 and 32 into another hole, for example into the first hole of said series of holes 30 and 34 as shown in Fig, 2, andfurtherm-ore, the user of the chair may disengage the pivot 36 from the hole adjacent the lowermost hole of the series of holes 38 (see Fig. 1) and may insert said pivot 36 into the hole adjacent the uppermost hole of the series of holes 38 as shown in Fig. 2. Under these circumstances, the angle between the back-rest I6 and the seat I2 remains unchanged in the sitting position of the seat and back-rest. However, the inclinations of the seat and back-rest in the reclined positions I21" and I6r (Fig. 2) become larger than theinclinations of the seat and back-rest in the reclined positions I2 and I6 (Fig. 1); furthermore, the angle between the back-rest and the seat in the reclined position according to Fig. 2 becomes larger than the corresponding angle between the back-rest and the seat in the reclined position according As will be understood, these changes in the inclinations and the angle are obtained merely by varying the position of the pivotal connection 28, 30 between the guiding link 24 and the arm-rest 20 on the latter without a change inthe pivotal connection 26 between the guiding link 24 and the support I0 and without a change in the length of the guiding link. Of course, in view of the change in the position of the pivotal connection 28, 30, the stops 32 and 36 are rearranged accordingly in the apertures 34 and 38.

As a matter of example, the chair shown in Fig. 2 being otherwise the same chair as that shown in Fig. 1, is equipped with a leg-rest 44 swingably mounted on the support I 0 at 46. One end of a connecting link 48 is pivotally connected with an extension 56 of the leg-rest at 52, while the other end of said connecting link is pivoted to the backrest I6 at 54. ,Thus, the leg-rest 44 is swung about its pivot 46 simultaneously with a swinging movement of the seat I2.

According to the embodiment of a chair shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the supporting member 56 is carried by a spindle 58 screwed into a conventional pedestal 60. Again, the front portion of the seat I2 is pivoted to the supporting member 56 at 14, the back-rest I6 is pivoted to the rear portion of the seat at I8, the arm-rests or extensions are rigidly secured to the back-rest I6 by screws 22, and each arm-rest is provided with a plurality of holes for engagement with the pivot 28 carried by the upper end of a guiding link I24. According to this embodiment, however,the lower end of the guiding link I24 is pivoted to the supporting member 56 at a point I26 in a plane below the horizontal plane of the front pivot I4 of the seat I2. During a movement of the seat against the action of a spring 40 from the sitting position limited by an adjustable belt 62 arranged between the seat and the supporting member into a reclined position shown in dash and dot lines, the angle between the'back-rest and the seat is increased owing to the control by the guiding link I24. In the same manner as s'hown'in Figs. 1 and 2, the position of the pivotal connection 28, 30 between the guiding link I24 and the arm-rest 20 may be varied on the arm-rest by placing the pivot 28 into a different hole of the series of holes -3Il.-

Fig. 3, however, illustrates additional means for varying the positions and relative positions of the seat and back-rest. The chair according to Fig. 3 is provided with means for varying the distance between the two pivotal connections 28 and I26 on the guiding link I24. As shown in Fig. 3 a series of bores 64 is arranged at the upperrend of the guiding link I24, and a series of bores 66 is arranged at the lower end of said guiding link. Depending on the insertion of the pivot 28 into one or the other of said bores 64 and depending on the insertion of the pivot I26 into one or the :otherof the bores 66 the distance between the piv- .otal connections may be changed, whereby a change in the inclination of the seat and backrest and a change in the variation of the angle between the back-rest and the seat may be obtained. Of course, a similar effect may be obtained by replacing a guiding link of a certain length by a longer or shorter guiding link.

According to the embodiment of a chair shown in Fig. 5, the adjustability of various inclinations of the seat I2 pivoted to the support ID at I4 and o'f various inclinations of the back-rest I6 pivoted to the'seat at I8 is obtained by the arrangement of atelescopic guiding link 224 of variable length incooperat'ion with the arrangement of series of holes '36 and 3I in the arm-rest '26 and a plurality of bores 68 in the support I9. The length of the telescopic guiding link 224 may be adjusted by a screw 10, the pivot 28 at the upper end of the guiding link 224 may be inserted into one or the other of the holes 30 arranged on a circular line or into one or the other of the holes 3| arranged on a straight line, and the pivot 226 at the lower end of the guiding link 224 may be inserted into one or the other of the bores 68 which are partly *b'el'ow, partly above, and partly in the plane of the seat I2., Obviously, there is a great variety of adjustments available either by a change in the distance between the pivotal connections 28 and 226 on the guiding link 224 or by a variation in the position of the pivotal connection 28 on the arm-rest 20 or by a change in the position of the pivotal connection 226 on the support III or by 'a combination of two or more of said changes.

According to Fig. 5, the arm-rest 20 is rigidly secured to the back-rest I6 by screws 22, and the seat I2 is under the action of a torsional spring 46.

. .Fig. 6 illustrates an arm chair according to the invention. In this embodiment the extension 3'20 rigidly secured to the back-rest I6 by screws 322 does not form an arm-rest. The arm-rests 12 (only one being shown), however, are a part of the frame or support I4 of the chair. The backrest I6 is hinged to the rear portion of the seat I2 at I8, and the front portion of said seat is pivoted to the frame 14 at I4. The seat is under the action of S-shaped spring I6 having its ends secured to the seat and the bottom of the frame respectively; on one hand said spring tends to urge the seat into the sitting position, and on the other hand said spring limits said sitting position. One end of a telescopic guiding link 324 of adjustable length is pivoted to the support at the point 326 below the seat I2., the other end of said telescopic guiding link is pivoted to the projecting portion of the extension 326 at a point above the seat by means of a pivot 28 engaged with one of the series of holes 3I arranged on the extension 326. Said telescopic guiding link 324 and said series of holes 3I may be used for adjustments in the manner described above. During a movement of the seat I2 from the sitting position shown in full lines into a reclined position (not shown in Fig. 6) the pivot 28 is guided along a circular path by the guiding link 324, whereby the angle between the seat and the backrest is increased. A locking device I8 comprising a rod 60 pivoted to the seat at 82 and engaged by a clamping sleeve 84 actuated by a screw 86 with an adjusting knob 88 projecting from the side wall of the chair may be used for locking the movable members I2, I6, 326, 324 of the chair in any adjusted position.

According to Fig. 6 a holding element 93 secured to a shaft 92journalled in a block 94 mounted on the bottom of the support I4 is arranged below the seat. The shaft 92 carries a handle 96 projecting from a side wall of the chair. During the normal use of the chair as a chair, said holding element is in the position shown in full lines out of the path of the seat I2, so that the latter may freely perform movements about the front pivot I4. However, if it is desired to convert the sitting arrangement I2, I6 into a flat resting arrangement I2, I61, the holding element 96 is turned into the upright position :99 by means of the handle 96, whereby the seat I2 is held in its substantially horizontal position. Thereupon the adjusting screw 316 on the tele- -scopic guiding link 32-4 is loosened for permitting a swinging of the back-rest I6 about the pivot I8 into the position I6f in alignment with the seat I2. Preferably, the back-rest is supported in said position I6 by an abutment 68 on the frame 14. If desired, the surface of the fiat resting arrangement I2, I6 may be extended by placing an ottoman IOQ or the like in front of the chair or by using any other suitable extension, for example a leg-rest swingably mounted on the frame of the chair.

I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example,

different means for varying the positions of the pivotal connections may be used, or different means for varying the length of the guiding link may be used, or the extension may be made of a construction permitting a variation in the length of the extension. Furthermore, it may be mentioned, that the normal sitting position must not necessarily be a horizontal position as shown in the drawings, that, however, the seat may be slightly rearwardly inclined in the normal sitting position. The extension may be a short or a long one and may be arranged at a short or long distance from the pivot between the back-rest and seat. The guiding link may be a short one or a long one, and it may be pivotally connected with any suitable point on the projecting portion of the extension. All these features have an influence on the inclination of the back-rest, on the angle between the back-rest and seat, and on the degree ofthe variation in said angle. Moreover, the extension may be integral with the backrest instead of a separate piece secured to the back-rest.

My invention may be applied to many types of chairs, for example desk-chairs, arm-chairs, reclining chairs for the household, garden-chairs, chairs for use in railroad cars, chairs for use in airplanes, etc. Furthermore, my invention may be applied to other pieces of furniture, such as sofas or the like.

What I claim is:

1. An adjustable reclining chair or the like comprising: spaced upright connected supports, a seat, a back-rest, the front portion of said seat being pivoted between said supports, the backrest being pivoted to the rear portion of said seat, said seat being swingable about its front pivot from a sitting position into a reclined position, a lateral extension rigidly connected with said backrest and spaced above the plane of the seat, a guiding link, one end of said guiding link being pivoted to one of said supports at a point spaced from the pivotal connection between the seat and the supports, the other end of said guiding link being pivoted to a portion of said extension projecting from said back-rest, the pivot connecting the guiding link with a support, the pivot connecting the guiding link with the extension and the pivot connecting the seat with the supports being arranged in such a relationship to each other that the distance between the two latter pivots is increased during a movement of the seat from the sitting position into the reclined position whereby the angle between the backrest and the seat is increased during such a movement, and resilient means arranged for cooperation with a movable member of the chair for yieldingly opposing a movement of the members into the reclined position.

2. An adjustable reclining chair or the like comprising: spaced upright connected supports, a seat, a back-rest, the front portion of said seat being pivoted between said supports, the backrest being pivoted to the rear portion of said seat, said seat being swingable about its front pivot from a sitting position into a reclined position, a lateral extension rigidly connected with said backrest and spaced above the plane of the seat, a guiding link, one end of said guiding link being pivoted to one of said supports at a point spaced from the pivotal connection between the seat and the supports, the other end of said guiding link being pivoted to a portion of said extension projecting from said back-rest, the pivot connecting the guiding link with a support, the pivot connecting the guiding link with the extension and the pivot connecting the seat with the supports being arranged in such a relationship to each other that the distance between the two latter pivots is increased during a movement of the seat from the sitting position into the reclined position whereby the angle between the back-rest and the seat is increased during such a movement, adjustable means for varying the position of at least one of the pivotal connections between the 8. guiding link and one of said members on said member, and resilient means arranged for cooperation with a movable member of the chair for yieldingly opposing a movement of the members into the reclined position.

3. An adjustable reclining chair or the like comprising: spaced upright connected supports, a seat, a back-rest, the front portion of said seat being pivoted between said supports, the backrest being pivoted to the rear portion of said seat, said seat being swingable about its front pivot from a sitting position into a reclined position, a lateral extension rigidly connected with said back-rest and spaced above the plane of the seat, said extension being provided with a plurality of holes in a portion projecting from said back-rest, a pivot arranged for engagement with one of said holes, a guiding link, one end of said guiding link being pivoted to one of said supports at a point spaced ,from the pivotal connection between the seat and the supports, the other end of said guiding link being in engagement with said pivot engaged with one of said holes, the pivot connecting the guiding link with a support, the pivot connecting the guiding link with the extension and the pivot connecting the seat with the supports being arranged in such a relationship to each other that the distance between the two latter pivots is increased during a movement of the seat from the sitting position into the reclined position whereby the angle between the back-rest and the seat is increased during such a movement, and resilient means arranged for cooperation with a movable member of the chair for yieldingly opposing a movement of the members into the reclined position.

4. An adjustable reclining chair or the like comprising: spaced upright connected supports, said supports being provided with a plurality of holes, a seat, a back-rest, the front portion of said seat being pivoted between said supports, the back-rest being pivoted to the rear portion of said seat, said seat being swingable about its front pivot from a sitting position into a reclined position, a lateral extension rigidly connected with said backrest and spaced above the plane of the seat, a guiding link, a pivot arranged for engagement with one of said holes of the supports, each of said holes being spaced from the pivotal connection between the seat and the supports, one end of said guiding link being in engagement with said pivot, the other end of said guiding link being pivoted to a portion of said extension projecting from said back-rest, the pivot connecting the guiding link with a support, the pivot connecting the guiding link with the extension and the pivot connecting the seat with the supports being arranged in such a relationship to each other that the distance between the two latter 7 comprising: spaced upright connected supports, a

seat, a back-rest, the front portion of said seat being pivoted, between said supports, the backrest being pivoted to the rear portion of said seat, said seat being swingable about its front pivot from a sitting position into a reclined position, a lateral extension rigidlyconnected with said back-rest and spaced above the plane of the seat, an adjustable guiding link, one end of said guiding link being pivoted to one of said supports at a point spaced from the pivotal connection between the seat and the supports, the other end of said guiding link being pivoted to a portion of said extension projecting from said back-rest, the pivot connecting the guiding link with a support, the pivot connecting the guiding link with the extension and the pivot connecting the seat with the supports being arranged in such a relationship to each other that the distance between the two latter pivots is increased during a movement of the seat from the sitting position into the reclined position whereby the angle between the back-rest and the seat is increased during such a movement, means for varying the efiective length of the adjustable guiding link, and resilient means arranged for cooperation with a movable member of the chair for yieldingly opposing a movement of the members into the reclined position.

6. In an adjustable reclining chair or the like as claimed in claim 1, the pivotal connection between the guiding link and the support being in a plane below the horizontal plane of the front pivot of the seat.

7. In an adjustable reclining chair or the like as claimed in claim 1, the pivotal connection between the guiding link and the support being in a plane above the horizontal plane of the front pivot of the seat.

8. In combination with an adjustable reclining chair or the like as claimed in claim 1, a leg-rest swingably mounted on said support, and connecting means connnecting a movable member of the chair with said swingable leg-rest for moving same.

9. An adjustable reclining chair or the like as claimed in claim 5 including movable holding means, said movable holding means being normally out of the path of the swingable seat, and means connected with said holding means for bringing same into the path of the swingable seat so as to hold the seat in a substantially horizontal position whereupon the length of the guiding link may be adjusted to permit the back-rest to be brought substantially in alignment with the seat.

ANTON LORENZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 581,888 Stoermer May 4, 1897 2,063,780 Ball Dec. 8, 1936 1,301,429 Givner Apr. 22, 1919 2,341,124 Sheldrick Feb. 8, 1944 2,208,800 Lorenz July 23, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 756,534 France 1933 

